Ladder supported holding trays suitable for holding hardware or paint have existed in various configurations. These trays typically utilize support members that permit temporary attachment of the tray to a step ladder or an extension ladder. A common problem associated with ladder supported holding trays is that such trays are specifically designed to attach to a single type of ladder. Furthermore, these ladder supported holding trays often only permit attachment to a specific configuration of step ladder or a specific configuration of extension ladder. As many variations of ladders exist in the marketplace there can be difficulty in finding a proper holding tray that the ladder will accommodate.
Another problem associated with typical ladder supported holding trays has been the attachment means utilized to secure the trays to a ladder. These trays typically require attachment either to two steps of a step ladder; to a step of a step ladder and the ladder rail, or to two spaced apart rungs or an extension ladder. Due to the variations in ladder construction, the supporting members of the trays often have to be adjusted when possible to securely attach the tray to a ladder. Where adjustment isn't possible often the tray cannot be utilized with particular ladders.
Existing ladder supported holding trays are often problematic to mount on a ladder because of the necessity to attach at more than one point on the ladder. Additionally, most ladder supported holding trays require the user to hold the tray with one hand, while attaching the tray to the ladder with a second hand. This is particularly difficult when the attachment means includes fasteners. It is both difficult and dangerous to devote both hands to mounting a holding tray to a ladder when the user is standing on the ladder. If the ladder supported holding tray mounts in a manner where the tray is not centered on the ladder but is cantilevered off the ladder and attaches to the ladder rail, the attachment process becomes even more difficult and dangerous. In an arrangement of this type the user must lean away from the ladder while holding the tray while also fastening the tray to the ladder. Ladder supported holding trays of this type are also prone to destabilizing the ladder to which they are attached.
Existing tray designs that utilize a single step for attachment utilize a support on the tray which can be attached to a single rung or step and from which the tray hangs. A problem associated with this design is the lack of stability of a tray that can easily be accidentally moved in relation to the ladder. Furthermore, the support devices used to hang the tray are located above the tray container and often block access to the container portion of the tray. Tray supports of this type often do not have a secure attachment to the tray, as well, and allow the tray to swing in relation to the support if the support is used to carry the tray up or down the ladder.
An additional problem with existing ladder supporting trays is the instability of the holding tray when the trays are not in attachment to a ladder. Filling a tray with paint or other items is difficult as the user must somehow support the tray to do so. Use of a tray of this type when off the ladder is extremely restricted and often not even possible.
Still another problem with existing ladder supported holding trays is the absence of a suitable handle. Many trays do not have a handle and require the user to grab on to the tray wherever possible. This is problematic to the user who is required to both hold the tray while moving up and down the ladder, and to hold the tray while securing the tray to the ladder. Not finding an adequate area to hold on to the tray can be both difficult and dangerous to the user while moving the tray or securing it to the ladder.
Tray designs that do utilize a handle have problems associated with the use of the handle. Many handles also additionally serve as the support from which the tray hands. In this design the handle is typically located above the tray and often obstructing the user from the tray itself. Furthermore, the tray is allowed to swing from a handle of this type which is typically non-fixed and pivots freely about the tray. The user in this case has to carefully keep the tray from swinging and losing the contents of the tray. Additionally, the user of a tray of this type has to mount the handle onto a step or rung and then somehow remove his or her hand from the handle once the handle is attached to the ladder.
Other tray designs that also include a handle make the handle only useful when moving up or down the ladder. The handle in these tray designs is often unusable during the mounting of the tray on the ladder. This requires the user to hold onto a different portion of the tray during securement of the tray to the ladder, a process which is both difficult and dangerous when standing atop a ladder.
Because of the aforementioned reasons there is a need for a ladder supported holding tray that: securely and easily mounts and dismounts to different types of ladders; will securely mount to a single step of a step ladder or to adjacent side by side rungs of overlapping sections of an extension ladder; allows the user to mount the tray with one hand only and includes no fasteners; includes no support member that will obstruct the user from accessing the container portion of the tray; is self supporting when the tray is not attached to a ladder; and, provides a secure handle for easily holding the tray while moving the tray, or while securing the tray to a ladder, which does not interfere with utilizing the tray once mounted to a ladder.